1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of graphical user interfaces in an information management system. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of graphical user interfaces used to display information on a display screen of a computer system or other electronic device used for information management.
2. Related Art
Computer systems are used today in wide applications that involve accessing and displaying information generally in response to some user interaction (e.g., via a keyboard and/or a cursor directing device). Information management systems, such as those which are used or can be adapted for use in computer systems, are placing increasing demands on the physical resources available for displaying information on a display screen. In many applications, it is always desired to display more information on a display screen so that a user can maximize the amount of information presented to him or her. Therefore, there exists a need for better and more efficient mechanisms and methods for presenting information to a user via a computer display screen.
Information management systems utilize specially developed screen displays that incorporate individual display images, as well as display information, that are presented in formats that allow the user to effectively gain access to the information of the information management system. Therefore, a particular screen display can be viewed as having both display "tools" (also called graphical user interface tools) and display "information." Typically, the display tools reside within a tool region and the display information resides within an information region. The display tools are used to give the user special abilities to organize, manage and access information while the display "information" constitutes either the resultant data desired or the application program the user desires to interact with or otherwise operate.
The current art in the field of graphical user interfaces for the display of information within an information management system utilizes delimited rectangular sections of screen display area to manage information. These delimited rectangular sections of screen display area are often called "windows." An application program, e.g., a word processor program, can generate a "window" in which information pertaining to a file (also called a document) can be displayed to a user in an "information region". It is often the case that the information within the file is larger than can be displayed within the window area reserved for the application program. In accordance with the prior art, "scroll bay" tools are provided within the window to solve this problem. The user interacts with the scroll bar tools, e.g., with a user-directed cursor, causing the information pertaining to the file to scroll across the display screen, into and out of the "information region," so that a user can make visible, and thereby access, different portions of the file.
However, some display screens are quite small. Especially those display screens that are associated with portable computer systems, portable electronic devices that act as information management systems and portable and/or handheld consumer-based electronic devices. For instance, personal digital assistants (PDAs) can be quite small, e.g., palm sized, and have correspondingly small display screens. Many consumer-based electronic devices, e.g., camcorders and telephones, also have reduced-sized display screens that are used for interacting with the device. In these cases, the display screen doubles as an information input device by using touch screen technology. In these cases, it is important to maximize the usable area of the display screen for viewing information because: (1) the screen is small to start with; and (2) the display screen doubles as an information input device (e.g., in the case of a touch screen).
Several prior art computer displays are discussed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,202 describes a method for generating window boarders having pictorial frame elements. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,202 describes generating a window frame, or boarder, that is always displayed around and separate from the information content. The window frame, or boarder, is not transparent and therefore does not allow the display of information therethrough. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,202 patent does not describe a mechanism for increasing the viewable area of a display screen because it requires the use of display screen area for a graphical image of the window frame that is separate from the displayed user information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,560 describes the use of a menu, not of a scroll bar nor of scrolling using a scroll bar. A scroll bar and the scrolling function within a graphical user interface are entirely different from a pull down or a pop-up menu item. Menu items provide a selection for predetermined program functions while the scrolling function allows different portions of user data to be displayed on the display screen. The menu item of U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,560 does not deal with the display of user data of a document. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,560 does not provide a mechanism for increasing the available area of a display screen for viewing user data or user information within a document.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,391 describes a scroll bar that is not transparent and does not allow the display of information therethrough. The scroll bar taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,391 therefore consumes display screen area thereby taking away display space from user information. As such, U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,391 does not describe a mechanism for increasing the viewable area of a display screen for user information. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,247 describes a scrolling device that is not transparent and sits on top of the displayed content. Because this scrolling device is not transparent, it prevents parts of the previously displayed content from being seen. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,247 likewise does not provide a mechanism for increasing the available area of a display screen for the viewing of user data or user information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,259 describes a scrolling device that is not transparent but is two dimensional. However, this scrolling device, like many other graphical scrolling devices, takes up extra screen area for its own display. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,259 does not provide a mechanism for increasing the available area of a display screen for the viewing of user data or user information. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,715, describes a scrolling device that is not transparent and that needs its own separate area on the display screen. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,715, likewise, does not provide a mechanism for increasing the available area of a display screen for the viewing of user data or user information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,225 describes a graphical scrolling device that is also located on a frame outside of the content display area. This scrolling device takes up screen space because it is not transparent and is described as being located within a graphical frame, thereby consuming additional display area. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,225 does not provide a mechanism for increasing the available area of a display screen for the viewing of user data or user information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,107 describes the use of a transparency or alpha blending by allowing data of other windows to be viewed through windows that lie on top of the window that contains data. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,107 does not describe scrolling or the use of scroll bars for increasing the viewable area of user information on a display screen. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,107 does not make any mention of increasing the usable display area by using a scrolling device or where such a scrolling device would be located with respect to the windows and their data.